Langston Hughes

The narrator and protagonist of this story is Langston Hughes, the author himself. Given that this story was published as part of a memoir, it can be assumed that the story is autobiographical, though some poetic license may have been taken in its telling. The narration makes it feel as if there are two distinct versions of Langston present in this story. Langston Hughes, at the time of writing, is an adult, and therefore the narrator Langston has a context for the episode that the child Langston does not. For example, from the beginning of the story, Hughes as narrator recognizes that he was not "really" saved on this day. However, in recalling the experiences of himself as a child, he places himself back in the mindset of that young boy, who patiently waited to "see" Jesus, as if Jesus was about to literally walk into the church and greet him.

The young Hughes in this story is twelve years old, nearing thirteen. He has been taken to church by his Aunt Reed, and clearly he desires the approval of his aunt and the rest of the congregation. At the same time, he genuinely wants to (and believes he will) see Jesus. There is no willful resistance in his refusal to get up and go over to the altar with the other "saved" children; on the contrary, he is so certain in what adults have told him that he waits patiently, anticipating a blinding light of faith to appear. 

He does not want to lie, as Westley does, and get up simply because he is tired of the mourners' bench. When he does finally get up, it is because he feels guilty for disappointing his aunt and the congregation, who have been waiting for some time. Unbeknownst to his aunt, in the moment that he stands and is celebrated for having come to God, he is actually experiencing a terrible loss of faith: he no longer believes in Jesus, because Jesus did not come to him in his moment of need. 

Auntie Reed

Auntie Reed, Hughes's aunt, is a woman of great faith. She is very concerned with ensuring that her nephew is saved, as she has been. She talks about the forthcoming event for children at her church for many days before it happens, and has also explained to Hughes that the process of salvation entails light coming into one's life, along with Jesus. Unfortunately, however, the way in which she has described her own salvation leads him to expect a physical ray of light and a literal manifestation of Jesus, which ends up causing him great disappointment when he fails to experience salvation in this way.

The approval of adults, including his aunt, appears to be important to Hughes, and when they beg him to come to God, he eventually gets up and pretends to "be saved” rather than admit that he feels nothing. His aunt Reed is relieved by this, crying tears of thankfulness. Despite her apparent interest in his salvation, Auntie Reed does not seem especially attuned to her nephew’s state of mind. When she overhears him crying later that night, she attributes his tears to his newfound salvation, a narrative that suits what she already wants to think. In reality, her nephew is upset because he has lost his faith—in part, because of her actions.

Westley

Westley is a rounder's son and the only other child left sitting on the mourners' bench with Langston after all the other children have got up and gone to be saved. Evidently, Westley does not take the...